LOS ANGELES, Oct. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Motor Press Guild (MPG), the largest automotive media association in North America, announced today that it is seeking submissions for the highest accolade in automotive journalism, The Dean Batchelor Award, as well as MPG Best of Year Awards across several categories. The awards are presented at the Motor Press Guild's Dean Batchelor Award gala in December.

This year marks the 17th anniversary of the award ceremony, designed to acknowledge the professional standards and excellence epitomized by the career of the late automotive editor and writer Dean Batchelor.

"The Dean Batchelor Award is one of the greatest honors bestowed in the field of automotive journalism," said Laura Burstein, Motor Press Guild President. "We encourage authors, photographers, Web journalists and broadcast professionals from all over the world to compete for this coveted award."

Prior to choosing the Dean Batchelor Award winner, a panel of judges selects Best of the Year winners in multiple categories including book, article, audio/video and photography. The Dean Batchelor Award winner is chosen from the Best of the Year recipients. While the award is open to any journalistic work in the automotive field, nominations must come from a current Motor Press Guild member.

The deadline for nominations is Monday, Oct. 15, 2012. For additional rules and submission guidelines, visit www.motorpressguild.org and visit the Dean Batchelor section of the site.

ABOUT MPG

The Los Angeles-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is the largest automotive media association in North America with more than 800 members. This non-profit trade guild is dedicated to promoting professionalism in automotive journalism through education and information exchange. Members include journalists from print, broadcast, and online outlets as well as public relations representatives, consumer groups and governmental bodies tied to the automotive industry. The organization hosts regular meetings featuring key figureheads in the auto industry and is widely recognized for its annual Dean Batchelor Award program and annual industry MPG Track Day.